39 workers killed in construction last year

Construction death rates fell sharply last year with 39 fatalities recorded by the HSE between April 2012 and March 2013.

The figure compares to 48 construction deaths in 2011/12 and a five-year average of 53 fatalities per annum.

Provisional HSE figures show construction currently has 1.9 deaths per 100,000 workers compared to an all-industry average of 0.5 per 100,000 workers.

The number of workers killed across all industries in the UK last year was 148 compared to 172 last time.

Britain has now had one of the lowest rates of fatal injuries to workers in leading industrial nations in Europe for the last eight years.

Judith Hackitt, the HSE Chair, said: “These figures are being published in the same week as the 25th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster, and are a reminder to us all of why health and safety is so important.

“Although the number of people killed at work has dropped significantly, last year 148 people failed to return home to their loved ones.

“HSE is striving to make health and safety simpler and clearer for people to understand so that more people do what is required to manage the real risks that cause death and serious injury.

“We all have a part to play to ensure people come home safe at the end of the working day and good leadership, employee engagement and effective risk-management are key to achieving this.”